How important is distortion in a UV map being used for combined baking?
UV Distortion in a static scene is less of a problem than it is when your models are used for movies and RT engines (that's imho, of course). You can always cover them up to some extend or rotate your model so that they are in less prominent areas. 

However, you should consider the possibility that you might want to reuse your models someday. Since uv mapping in addition to modeling is still one of the most used and useful techniques in 3D modeling I highly recommend to start learning the basics as soon as possible.